Southern California - no place to drag race in the birthplace of drag racing

[ocdart]

The first commercial drag race took place on July 2, 1950, on an out-of-commission Army air base in Santa Ana, California. Soon, that facility was known as the "Santa Ana Drags".
When it closed nine years later, drag racing had become a nationwide sport with established rules and classes, national championships, and a major sanctioning body. Now, drag racing has evolved into a huge worldwide motorsport—and it also still exists at a smaller grassroots level not much different from what those guys in Santa Ana were doing 70 years ago.

With the announced closing of Irwindale Speedway at the end of 2024, the only two drag racing facilities left in SoCal for weekly events will be either...
* Barona (1/8-mile) - located on the Barona Indian Reservation east of San Diego, 120+ miles from my home in north Orange County
* Famoso Dragstrip (1/4-mile) - north of Bakersfield, 180 miles from my home

I know land values in SoCal are expensive and people living too close to the track will complain about the noise, but you would think that a track in a heavy-industrialized area (thinking Los Angeles/Long Beach harbor area) would be worth trying to keep illegal speed contests off of the streets.

 

[TT5.9mag]

Chuckwalla
Perris
Eagle field
Pomona (street drags may be making a comeback)
And the owner of Irwindale has made mention of the purchase of land near Kern somewhere to open a new track.

 

[Dan the man]

The first commercial drag race took place on July 2, 1950, on an out-of-commission Army air base in Santa Ana, California. Soon, that facility was known as the "Santa Ana Drags".
When it closed nine years later, drag racing had become a nationwide sport with established rules and classes, national championships, and a major sanctioning body. Now, drag racing has evolved into a huge worldwide motorsport—and it also still exists at a smaller grassroots level not much different from what those guys in Santa Ana were doing 70 years ago.

With the announced closing of Irwindale Speedway at the end of 2024, the only two drag racing facilities left in SoCal for weekly events will be either...
* Barona (1/8-mile) - located on the Barona Indian Reservation east of San Diego, 120+ miles from my home in north Orange County
* Famoso Dragstrip (1/4-mile) - north of Bakersfield, 180 miles from my home

I know land values in SoCal are expensive and people living too close to the track will complain about the noise, but you would think that a track in a heavy-industrialized area (thinking Los Angeles/Long Beach harbor area) would be worth trying to keep illegal speed contests off of the streets.

I don't mean to be negative here, but I said long ago that racing is going away slowly but surely. The newer generation aren't interested in the sport/hobby, they are into going green and electric car junk.

 

[TT5.9mag]

I don't mean to be negative here, but I said long ago that racing is going away slowly but surely. The newer generation aren't interested in the sport/hobby, they are into going green and electric car junk.

I would make the argument that drag racing now is AS popular or MORE popular than it ever has been. Maybe in a different form than you’re used to (no prep, back of track, street etc) but the popularity is there. The tracks that embrace change will survive.

 

[Dan the man]

I would make the argument that drag racing now is AS popular or MORE popular than it ever has been. Maybe in a different form than you’re used to (no prep, back of track, street etc) but the popularity is there. The tracks that embrace change will survive.

My question is this, if it's so popular then why do they keep closing tracks down? There used to be 4 verily close to me and now there's only one. The one that's left is in Madison Illinois and I think that they finally phased out Friday night madness unless it's been brought back in the last couple of years. The newer generation is into electronics. They canceled a car show in my town due to the fact that they couldn't get any judges for the show.

 

[Dartnut]

I don't mean to be negative here, but I said long ago that racing is going away slowly but surely. The newer generation aren't interested in the sport/hobby, they are into going green and electric car junk.

For once, I have to agree with you. Dan.
In my opinion, the younger generation doesn't have much interest in drag racing.
The evolution of motorsports includes drifting, autocross, and resto mod.
Back when I was young (in the '70s and '80s) there was only a few games in town.
Drag racing (and street racing), Pro Street, the 4X4 mudding guys, stock car racing on roundy round courses, and the off road/motocross guys.
Now there is all of that and the others mentioned above.
That leaves the drag racers at a minority these days.
Then there's the EV guys coming up to add a new twist to it all...
Sheesh!

 

[Dartnut]

I would make the argument that drag racing now is AS popular or MORE popular than it ever has been. Maybe in a different form than you’re used to (no prep, back of track, street etc) but the popularity is there. The tracks that embrace change will survive.

I hope you are right.
I am a drag racer by heart, and used to bracket race when I was younger and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Never was into anything else except for motocross/off road biking...

 

[Dan the man]

I hope you are right.
I am a drag racer by heart, and used to bracket race when I was younger and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Never was into anything else except for motocross/off road biking...

Dirt bikes are a blast, that's for sure. I have a atv and it's fun too. I don't see kids out riding their bikes like when I was a kid and I blame the parents for letting their kids be glued to their stupid phones, laptops, how sad.

 

[33IMP]

Chuckwalla
Perris
Eagle field
Pomona (street drags may be making a comeback)
And the owner of Irwindale has made mention of the purchase of land near Kern somewhere to open a new track.

I hope you are right about pomona, it's ten minutes from my house. The street legals coming back would be heaven on earth.

But the way the NHRA F@#KED us to do their 50th aniversary show?...... id bet my house against it happening.

My friends rearend shop was LITERALLY across the street from the fairground. We used to drive 10 second cars to the street drags.

 

[jos51700]

When they killed KCIR (new housing development bitched about the noise) we all said it and it wasn't going to be long before street racing was going to be a huge problem.

It took about a month.

That was 2017.


This was last month

 

[33IMP]

My question is this, if it's so popular then why do they keep closing tracks down? There used to be 4 verily close to me and now there's only one. The one that's left is in Madison Illinois and I think that they finally phased out Friday night madness unless it's been brought back in the last couple of years. The newer generation is into electronics. They canceled a car show in my town due to the fact that they couldn't get any judges for the show.

Land values and noise.
I DONT think those are the problems at Irwindale.
The money going in the toilet for the roundy round is killing the dragstrip AGAIN.

 

[Dan the man]

When they killed KCIR (new housing development bitched about the noise) we all said it and it wasn't going to be long before street racing was going to be a huge problem.

It took about a month.

That was 2017.


This was last month

If the track (s) where they before they built those houses then the tracks should be allowed to remain open. They shouldn't be allowed to build houses close to race tracks to begin with. Common sense should tell them that it's going to be noisy. All race tracks should be given 100% grandfathered in

 

[Dan the man]

Land values and noise.
I DONT think those are the problems atIrwindale.
The money going in the toilet for the roundy round is killing the dragstrip AGAIN.

Figures

 

[33IMP]

Pomona has been having races since 1960, and is literally across the street from an airport.
Has not stopped the neighbors from bitching about noise for one minute.

 

[Dan the man]

Pomona has been having races since 1960, and is literally across the street from an airport.
Has not stopped the neighbors from bitching about noise for one minute.

Figures, some people just like to ***** and apparently they are not happy unless they are doing so

 

[Kern Dog]

And the owner of Irwindale has made mention of the purchase of land near Kern somewhere to open a new track.

I didn't get the call.

 

[DartGT55]

If the track (s) where they before they built those houses then the tracks should be allowed to remain open. They shouldn't be allowed to build houses close to race tracks to begin with. Common sense should tell them that it's going to be noisy. All race tracks should be given 100% grandfathered in

I strongly agree 500 percent first come first served we were here first I didn’t tell you to built your house next to my track —— off

 

[TT5.9mag]

My question is this, if it's so popular then why do they keep closing tracks down?

The tracks that embrace change will survive.

 

[33IMP]

My gf at the time's sister and her husband were living under the takeoff flight plan of Ontario Airport, saving well over $1000 a month on rent, as a result.
Wanna bet if that stopped her from complaining about the noise?
She sure as hell knew the airport was there, and why rent was so cheap, when she signed the rental agreement.

 

[hemi71x]

I used to race at Sacramento Raceway in the past, all the time, and that track has been closed down, for quite a few years now.
Doesn't surprise me at all, with other tracks closing down, going away, in this modern day and age.

 

[Dan the man]

I used to race at Sacramento Raceway in the past, all the time, and that track has been closed down, for quite a few years now.
Doesn't surprise me at all, with other tracks closing down, going away, in this modern day and age.

Sad, but unfortunately true

 

[DartGT55]

And they ***** about all the street racing there was at one time 4 area drag strips near me now there’s only one about an hour away they have no where to race so where do you think they are going to race

 

[fishmens67]

We can thank greed, yuppies and politics.

 

[33IMP]

I was wrong about Pomona. First national event was 1961. BUT, there has been racing there since 1953. The track was promoted by a couple cops, one of which was Chief Parker, of pomona pd, who said it would cut down on (who da guessed!) street racing (in 1952!!!). The track there is named after Chief Parker.
It was a dirt lot, before the racers built the strip.

 

[fishmens67]

I was wrong about Pomona. First national event was 1961. BUT, there has been racing there since 1953. The track was promoted by a couple cops, one of which was Chief Parker, of pomona pd, who said it would cut down on (who da guessed!) street racing (in 1952!!!). The track there is named after Chief Parker.
It was a dirt lot, before the racers built the strip.

My dad and uncle stop light raced cops in Philly back in the mid late 50's. lol
It was normal to see PD racing at the tracks.